Episode Three.

INT. SERENITY INFIRMARY - NIGHT

We open to see SIMON preparing medical equipment in the Infirmary. DERRIA is sitting very still on the table, moving only her eyes to watch him.

DERRIA: I like my wounds.

SIMON: I’m not going to heal anything. I’m just going to make sure there are no infections.

DERRIA: You’ll heal my infections?

SIMON: Derria if you’re going to be on this ship for a while, you need to be as healthy as possible. The Captain doesn’t want the crew getting sick.

He begins to dress some wounds with cotton swabs and various coloured fluids. DERRIA cringes a little but mostly sits still. She has felt more pain than this before.

SIMON: (after a beat) how have you been sleeping?

DERRIA: Haven’t, how’ve you been sleeping?

SIMON: Just fine thankyou. Can you stretch your arm out for me?

DERRIA stretches her right arm to reveal a long gash on the inside of her arm. It looks like she has self sewn it.

SIMON CONT: I can give you something to help you sleep if you like?

DERRIA: Like before? No please.

SIMON: (correcting her) Thank you. And what Zoe shot you with was a tranquilliser; this would be a low dose sedative to help you relax. I can get it for you right now if you like?

DERRIA reaches her arm out to stop SIMON going for the drug; she needs to make him understand something.

DERRIA: I am so tired, but when you sleep where I’ve been, you sometimes wake up dead. You can’t protect yourself and you get eaten.

SIMON: When was the last time you ate something?

DERRIA lets go of SIMON and doesn’t answer. SIMON decides to change the subject.

SIMON CONT: You can sleep here. You are perfectly safe. No one will (Chinese devour you while you sleep). You need to get some rest especially after the injuries you sustained on Silverhold a few weeks ago.

DERRIA: I’m safe? (Not really believing him)

SIMON: Yes. (Pause) I promise.

DERRIA: I’ve heard that before. Seems it’s just a word.

SIMON: It’s not when I say it.

DERRIA: (beat) Those are just words as well.

INT. SERENITY LOUNGE – NIGHT

Outside the Infirmary SIMON is walking an obviously drugged DERRIA to her dorm to sleep. She is hunched against his shoulder and noticing ALL the lights. They run into MAL who is coming down the stairs.

MAL simply gives him a ‘what did you do’ mixed with a ‘is she alright’ face.

SIMON: I gave her something to help her sleep, it only takes about 5 minutes to settle into the bloodstream.

MAL: Are you sure she aint on too much?

DERRIA taps one of the lights in the walls with her fingers and then taps SIMON’S cheek. When it doesn’t tap the same she lifts up his lip with her finger and taps his teeth.

DERRIA: You’re teeth never tasted blood.

MAL raises his eyebrows and SIMON ignores DERRIA’S comment, pushing her hand away.

SIMON: (to Mal) I upped the dosage a little, I wasn’t sure how her system would react.

DERRIA: (to Mal) Am I safe to sleep here Capt’n man Sir?

MAL: Get as much shut eye as you need, we’ll all still be here when you wake.

DERRIA: Am I safe?

MAL: (beat) more safe on Serenity then places you’ve been.

Simon pushes her along and moves towards the dorms.

DERRIA: (trying to turn back) you can talk ‘bout what you really want to do with me now. I’ll be ways away for hours. Far far far…..

SIMON: Meds will keep her out for a while.

MAL nods and walks through to the infirmary himself.

DERRIA: Far far far far far….

INT. DERRIA’S DORM – NIGHT

DERRIA falls on her face onto the bed inside the dorm still repeating far far far over and over (but muffled obviously). SIMON turns her over and covers her with a blanket. DERRIA stops talking and is finally asleep. SIMON whispers to her and then leaves her to sleep.

SIMON: Away (Chinese strange beauty).

END TEASER

INT. DERRIA’S DORM – DREAM

DERRIA wakes after what we assume is a nice long sleep. She rolls to her feet and leaves her room. Reaching the door way she looks back to where she had just been sleeping.

INT. REAVER DORM – DREAM

The room has changed to a metal chamber with a bowl in one corner and a pile of hair/fur in the other that looks like it has been used for a bed. There is a skin-sewn blanket on the floor and lights within the walls that keep flickering light up the room.

This is clearly another space ship. The lights flicker faster and faster until they finally blow out.

INT. DERRIA’S DORM – DREAM

The room changes back to DERRIA’S dorm on Serenity. She knows something strange just happened but not enough to care right at the moment.

INT. KITCHEN – DREAM

DERRIA heads out and up to the kitchen where RIVER and KAYLEE are playing cards in the lounge alcove. ZOE is kneading dough on the kitchen counter.

KAYLEE and ZOE notice nothing but RIVER keeps her eye on DERRIA as she walks towards ZOE.

ZOE: Well hey there Slice ‘n’ Dice, have a nice sleep? (Unnaturally happy)

DERRIA: I don’t…um…really remember. Why you talkin to me? What are you makin?

ZOE: Bunnns! Isn’t it great! But don’t tell the others, it’s a surprise for them to enjoy later.

DERRIA looks around at where KAYLEE and RIVER are playing. She’s a little confused by ZOE because the girls can clearly see what she is doing.

DERRIA also now notices SIMON sitting as the table staring straight at ZOE, head on his fists grinning like a schoolboy.

DERRIA takes another look at the scene surrounding her before deciding it’s to weird to stay here.

INT. SPACE LOCK, HALLWAY To BRIDGE – DREAM

DERRIA walks out of the kitchen towards the bridge but stops as she sees RIVER staring up out the space lock to the outside of Serenity’s hull.

She ignores her (and the fact she just saw her in the kitchen) and continues to walk.

INT. BRIDGE – DREAM

In the bridge JAYNE is in the second pilot’s chair making all kinds of noises and pretending to shoot things like he is in a video game.

JAYNE: Pow, pow, pow, bang bang! Die asteroid (Chinese scum!)

MAL is in the pilot’s chair, he turns around to face DERRIA when she walks in.

MAL: So….

DERRIA: So…

JAYNE: Gorram master primary radioactive jet fuelled propeller engines been hit….agghh (gargling and clasping to his neck ridiculously) were going down……

DERRIA and MAL both ignore him as he is fake dying next to them.

MAL: You aint meant to be here. You know the rules.

DERRIA: I was never meant to be here. I’m sorry.

She turns to leave but River is standing right behind her. DERRIA jumps a little, she didn’t expect her to be there.

Face to face they stand for a moment staring each other down.

RIVER: Liar.

DERRIA: (tilting her head like an animal) Am not.

She pushes past RIVER and walks down the hallway.

INT. SPACE LOCK HALLWAY to BRIDGE

DERRIA stops to see another RIVER standing staring up at the space lock. DERRIA realises there is more than one RIVER now and turns back to see ‘other RIVER’ still standing in the bridge staring at her.

The pair don’t seem to notice MAL and JAYNE still going on about the ship ‘fake’ crashing.

JAYNE: Capt’n, I tried re routing auxiliaries through this shiny red button here but the outer hull can’t take the sunlight and I’m fearin the preachers predictions are having truths?

MAL: (shocked) Did you say the red button?!?!?

OTHER RIVER: (to Derria) You have been lying since the moment your torn feet touched the ship. Seven plus two. Don’t break one.

DERRIA walks past the RIVER staring out the space lock. This RIVER is not moving or saying anything.

DERRIA: Leave me alone!

DERRIA disappears out of view.

MAL: (shocked to Jayne) Why would you feel the extreme need to push the red button? Was it time?

RIVER: (quietly to herself) Leave us alone.

MAL: You Gorram daft fool!

MAL backhands JAYNE across the back of his head and this causes the RIVERS to break concentration and look at MAL and JAYNE.

INT. CARGO BAY – DREAM

Down in the caro bay DERRIA is wondering slowly along one of the walkways.

The ship is quiet apart from the occasional noise that changes between Reavers yelling in the distance somewhere and the gurgling noise from a baby.

These sounds make DERRIA snap her head around in the various directions they come from. Eventually she trips and falls on one of the grated walkways.

On all fours she slammed to the ground and has begun bleeding. Watching her blood drip slowly through the grating her focus shifts and she sees her blood drip onto a baby lying below.

DERRIA: (Chinese Oh my god)

INT. KITCHEN – NIGHT

Clearly now not in a dream (YES it was a dream) the rest of the crew are sitting around the kitchen table. ZOE is mostly keeping to herself. Every now and then she looks at a WASH across the table that the others can’t see.

MAL: I asked you all here for discussions on our new shipmate.

INARA: So she’s definitely staying?

MAL: That’s part of the discussing that needs to be done. Doc how goes the treating?

SIMON: Derria’s healthy, no infection, and no signs of mental stress that can be seen on first appearance.

JAYNE: Except her actual appearance.

KAYLEE: Jayne! She’s still a human being.

JAYNE: Yeah with tiny parts of her missin and the sometimes need to go crazy and destroy everything.

KAYLEE: She was demonstrating. That was one time.

JAYNE:….I still don’t like the idea of someone on board that can kill me while I sleep.

KAYLEE: She saved your life.

RIVER: Anyone at this table could kill you while you sleep. Some while you’re still awake.

SIMON: River.

RIVER: I’m just saying. (Pulls a face at Simon who glares back.)

MAL: (To River) you’re quick to defend. Wasn’t it your boot saying hello to her face a couple of days ago?

SIMON: I’m sure Rivers got her reasons for that.

RIVER: I have my reasons for that. (River stands) I don’t like her to be here but she has to be here.

With this everyone turns to look at RIVER who is still standing her ground.

RIVER CONT: (quietly and returning to sit again) I have my reasons.

INT. CARGO BAY - DREAM

INARA: Derria? Are you all right? You’re bleeding?

DERRIA looks up to see INARA standing in front of her, when she looks back down to where the baby was she sees only a small pool of blood and JAYNE and SIMON play fighting.

DERRIA: I…um…No I Don’t think I am. This aint how the ship always is right?

INARA smiles and giggles a little.

INARA: Let’s get you cleaned up.

INARA helps DERRIA to her feet and walks her down the stairs onto the cargo bay floor. They ignore JAYNE and SIMON who are wrestling each other, JAYNE with SIMON in a headlock.

Towards the infirmary KAYLEE comes walking out and past INARA and DERRIA.

KAYLEE: Boys..(gestures to Jayne and Simon)

INARA and KAYLEE both stop to look at the guys wrestling as though to say ‘this is so typical for boys.’ INARA then looks like she is trying to figure something out.

INARA: They look a little green to me.

DERRIA also looks but has no idea what she is supposed to be looking at. KAYLEE then tries to stop the guys from fighting although with very little effort.

KAYLEE: Oh my…stop…

DERRIA: (to Inara) What are they doin?

INARA: If my Companion training doesn’t fail me, and it hasn’t failed me yet, I’d say fighting for territorial dominance?

DERRIA: Who owns the ship?

INARA: Mal.

DERRIA really doesn’t get it.

KAYLEE: Not fighting over the ship.

KAYLEE gets amongst the wrestle and somehow SIMON ends up picking her up and running away from JAYNE.

SIMON: I win.

JAYNE: Hey that’s cheating!

KAYLEE is giggling.

INT. INFIRMARY – DREAM

In the infirmary INARA gestures for DERRIA to sit on the table. She then places on a surgical gown and hat, looking ridiculous with her Companion clothes underneath. INARA places her hand on DERRIA’S forehead.

INARA: Now can you tell me where it hurts?

DERRIA: Um…where the blood is I guess?

INARA: OF COURSE! (Eureka moment)

ZOE and MAL enter the room but stay in the doorway.

RIVER appears at one of the windows to the infirmary, she is peering in with both hands on the glass. Both her hands are covered in blood.

DERRIA looks only at MAL.

ZOE: Looks serious Sir, maybe I should just put her out of her misery.

ZOE reaches out the side of the doorway and holds up a giant wooden stake exactly like the one that killed WASH.

MAL: No Inara has it covered. Don’t you Nara?

He walks right up to her and places his hands on her shoulders. INARA grins as she wipes blood from DERRIA’S hands with a sponge. There is and abnormal amount of it.

INARA stops suddenly to smell the air.

INARA: Is something burning?

ZOE: My BUNS!

ZOE runs out the room and past RIVER who watches her go but quickly turns her attention back to DERRIA.

MAL: Her what?

DERRIA: It’s a secret.

INARA/MAL: Oh…

A moment passes where INARA resumes mopping up ridiculous amounts of blood from DERRIA’S hands and wringing out the sponge into a bucket. RIVER finally gets fed up with being ignored and slaps her hands against the window for some attention. The blood splatters back and droplets land on her face.

RIVER: (to Derria) Liar, tell him.

MAL and INARA look from RIVER to DERRIA curiously heads tilted like confused animals.

DERRIA: Sorry. She aint making buns. Not ones to be eaten anyhow.

RIVER seems very annoyed at this response, slams her hands against the glass again and runs up the stairs towards the kitcen. After she goes a crash sound is heard coming from the cargo bay.

MAL: Sounds like somethin needs my Captainy attending to.

He wacks INARA on the butt playfully and leaves the Infirmary.

INARA barely notices apart from jumping a little at the force of being hit. As MAL walks out the room a faint cry is head but DERRIA is the only one who seems to hear it.

INARA squeezes the sponge out on the floor in front of her missing the bucket and getting her shoes.

INARA: I can’t believe all this blood is yours.

DERRIA: (distracted by the noise) It’s not. You hear that?

INARA: Oh no (Chinese curses I have your blood on my shoes) I need to change.

INARA leaves the room and the light outside the infirmary vanishes behind her but DERRIA doesn’t really care she can still hear a cry, it sounds like a baby.

She jumps off the table to follow the noise but stops when she reaches the pitch-black door way. She stares out for a moment, wondering wether to leave or not, then wooden stakes like the one Zoe held earlier come crashing through the infirmary windows behind DERRIA and into the room.

INT. LOUNGE - DREAM

DERRIA instinctively jumps through the doorway into the black. Two Reavers mid air throw her to ground, when she lands she gets a good look and can see she is being attacked by Reavers in a spotlight.

DERRIA: (screams) I’m sorry please, I just wanted to know.

One of the Reavers rips at her arms with their fingernails and the other goes for a bite.

INT. KITCHEN – NIGHT

In the kitchen the crew is busily discussing DERRIA in groups. JAYNE has singled out MAL. They think they are having a conversation by themselves but WASH looks as though he is part of it as well. RIVER is overhearing from a distance.

JAYNE: (scared) You really want that in the same place you sleep? Mal what happens when she gets hungry?

MAL: Why would she save your life if just to make a meal of you in the afterthought?

JAYNE: I dunno, maybe she likes to lure people into a trap. All family like and with the trust… part of her game you know?

WASH: No, we actually have no clue what you are talking about?

MAL: What words do you think made sense of the kind, I could understand coming out of your mouth just then?

JAYNE is left with nothing to say, and it’s probably for the best anyway. MAL, JAYNE, and RIVER notice ZOE hovering over the sink breathing slowly looking as though she might be ill.

RIVER: (quietly) You’re all asking the wrong questions.

SIMON: (to River’s mumbling) What’s wrong?

RIVER: (to herself) Biting.

RIVER realises SIMON is paying attention to her.

RIVER CONT: (quickly) Gotta go.

She gets up and walks discreetly from the room not making any commotion as she goes until she hits the doorway. She then bolts down the hallway.

INT. LOUNGE DREAM

As the Reavers mouth closes around DERRIA the noise and both Reavers and black disappear and she is lying on the ground in the lounge area still as though something is attacking her.

DERRIA: I just want to know him.

RIVER stands over her, her face really close to DERRIA’S.

RIVER: Without knowing you? It’s not fair.

The crying can still be heard softly in the background.

RIVER moves her head as though she can hear the noise.

DERRIA: You can hear it?

RIVER: It’s not for us to know butI know this sound.

RIVER steps back and helps DERRIA to her feet. She then walks back into the cargo bay dragging DERRIA by the arm behind her.

INT. CARGO BAY – DREAM

RIVER drags DERRIA up the stairs looking for where the noise is coming from. MAL and INARA are reinacting the conversation they had at the end of ‘Heart of Gold’, DERRIA stops to watch.

MAL: Inara, I aint looking for anything from you. I'm just, just feeling kind of truthsome right now. But... Life is too damn short for ifs and maybes. INARA: I learned something from Nandi. Not just from what happened, but from her. The family she made, the strength of her love for them. That's what kept them together. When you live with that kind of strength, you get tied to it, you can't break away. And you never want to. They're getting closer to each other, MAL’S eyes locked on hers. INARA CONT: There's something... There's something I should have done a long while ago. And I'm sorry -- for both of us -- that it took me this long. (A beat.) I'm leaving.

RIVER who has continued walking returns for DERRIA.

DERRIA: Now?

RIVER: Not yet, all this is irrelevant.

The girls continue walking.

DERRIA: When?

RIVER: Soon.

DERRIA: Everything’s much foggier now. (Sarcastically)

RIVER makes a face as though she doesn’t really understand that comment but she is facing forward so DERRIA doesn’t see and doesn’t realize she needs to correct herself.

INT. KITCHEN – NIGHT

The crew are still in the Kitchen and in their groups.

ZOE is standing at the counter with MAL and WASH, and JAYNE is now sitting at the table cleaning his fingernails with his knife. SIMON sits in the alcove lounge area with KAYLEE sitting so her legs rest over SIMON’S and with her head leaning against his shoulder.

INARA is standing in the alcove area talking with SIMON and KAYLEE. Her attention is half on Mal though.

KAYLEE: She should stay. (Off Simon's look) Well where else will she go? Poor thing.

SIMON: It might be an advantage having someone with her….um…knowledge on the ship.

INARA: (watching Mal) I suppose.

MAL is standing right next to ZOE so he can talk with her discretely.

MAL: Zoe?

ZOE: I’m not comfortable with her around.

MAL: Figured as much, but I was more interested in you. Sick?

ZOE: Don’t think so.

ZOE is looking washed out (no pun intended), just run down.

MAL: Maybe you wanna sit down? Let the doc look at you?

WASH: Yes thank you, that’s what I’ve been saying for the last week. I open my mouth, I’m fairly sure there are sounds…..but…

ZOE: I’m fine. (She barks at both of them.) (Chinese I just need time and space already.)

WASH moves to place a hand on her shoulder and kisses her on the forehead.

WASH: I have to go, but I’ll be back. Listen to Mal (Chinese please?)

WASH then leaves the kitchen towards the bridge.

MAL: (to Zoe) Just don’t want… We’ve lost people before, more’n’likely we’ll lose them again. (beat) Just don’t want that to be you.

MAL also turns from ZOE and goes to walk out the opposite doorway towards the engine room.

INARA sees and follows him so they meet just outside.

INARA: Mal. Where are you going?

MAL: Don’t quite know. Clear my head. It’s a tough decision needs makin.

INARA: We can’t just abandon her.

MAL: (pause) So how do you feel about all this?

INT. ENGINE ROOM HALLWAY, STAIRS TO CARGO BAY

INARA and MAL have begun walking together towards the engine room and down the stairs to the dorm area.

INARA: I think she should stay. She’s proven herself to be an asset, River definitely knows something we don’t and with a few rules until we get to know her better I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

MAL ponders this as INARA continues talking.

INARA CONT: She knows how Reavers are Mal, she’s strong, and she saved Jayne’s life without even knowing who he is, which is probably a good thing…Mal?

MAL: So…How do you feel about all this?

MAL reaches out to run his hand affectionately down INARA’S arm. She is a little thrown by this and stumbles to find words.

INT. SPACE LOCK, HALLWAY to BRIDGE - DREAM

DERRIA has broken away from RIVER and is once again wandering around the ship alone. She again walks up to the RIVER staring out the space lock and finally looks up to see what she is looking at.

RIVER: Way home.

The Reaver who DERRIA watched get away in the Reaver ship at the end of the first episode peers down and grabs DERRIA by the throat.

INT. REAVER DORM – DREAM

He pulls her up through the space lock and into the metal chamber we saw earlier. The Reaver stares at DERRIA and then looks around the room. DERRIA is shaken but not completely terrified by him until she follows his gaze around the room.

Bodies of the crew of Serenity are scattered throughout her room along with the baby she saw earlier. DERRIA gasps slightly but for the most part looks as though she knew this would happen. The Reaver scratches down her arm and draws blood, he then flicks it in the direction that MAL is laying on the floor.

He is still alive.

DERRIA runs over and kneels down by his face.

She peers closely at his face and at his wounds, with a purely sad look on her face.

MAL: Your…you can’t be a part of this…

DERRIA: Why not?

MAL slowly shuts his eyes and dies with the rest of the crew. DERRIA simply looks hurt by his comments. She gets up and turns to face the Reaver, she throws a small tantrum, stomping her feet, her body language has now become totally animal.

The Reaver yells and moans, runs towards DERRIA and throw’s her against a wall. He grabs for her again but she rolls defensively and falls through the space lock back down onto Serenity.

INT. SPACE LOCK, HALLWAY to BRIDGE

She lands hard and closes her eyes for a second, she is a little winded. When she opens her eyes again all she sees is the hatch and the roof of the ship. The Reaver and RIVER are gone.

MAL: Now its one thing to get yourself all cut and bleed over everywhere, but runnin into walls for no good reason, well your just tryin to hurt my ship.

MAL has appeared sitting cross legged by DERRIA. He strokes the walls as though it’s pet.

DERRIA: I..I won’t do it again.

MAL: Good (Chinese devil child)

Simon comes skipping down the hall and happily (and a little gay) does a twirl around the pair.

SIMON: Isn’t it wonderful, isn’t it the Shiny?!

He claps his hands together and continues to skip past them. MAL and DERRIA simply look at each other and identically raise their eyebrows. They get up to follow.

INT. KITCHEN – DREAM

In the kitchen RIVER runs up to DERRIA and grabs her again by the arm, more playful like though this time and pulls her in her direction.

The Girls walk slowly past everyone who has convened in the kitchen to see ZOE’S unveiling of her cooking. Zoe opens the oven door and pulls out the tray that is covered with a tea towel that is pink with cupcakes over it. (Why it was in the oven with the oven on, I don’t know) ZOE pulls off the tea towel ready for the big unveiling but when she does there is nothing on the tray.

There crew make a disappointed awww sound.

ZOE: Where’d they go? Who took them? C’mon someone better fess up.

The girls leave the kitchen and can both hear the baby crying again.

RIVER: I think its living in the walls.

DERRIA: (sarcastically) really?

RIVER: Or the floor, or the roof, or my brain.

DERRIA: Oh well if that’s the case I want out of your brain. I can hear it too remember.

INT. ENGINE ROOM HALLWAY, STAIRS TO CARGO – DREAM

The girl’s head down the stairs and follow the sound back into DERRIA’S dorm room.

INT. DERRIA’S DORM – DREAM

RIVER enters first and stops dead in her tracks at what she sees leaving DERRIA to crash into her.

A red headed, freckled man stands in front of them.

RIVER: (Happily) Hoban!

There is a baby in WASH’S arms, he is holding it very tenderly as though it’s his own. Both DERRIA and RIVER simply stare at this.

RIVER smiles and looks content. WASH smiles back at her nodding a little so she knows it’s ok for her to leave, so she does. DERRIA never having met WASH is a little confused.

WASH: I’m sorry.

DERRIA: For what?

WASH: You need to wake up right now.

DERRIA opens her eyes at the exact moment WASH says ‘now.’

She is still in her dorm room. A little shocked but not as shocked as when she notices ZOE sitting across from her.

ZOE lunges and throws her hands around DERRIA’S neck. Strangling her.

BLACK OUT

END OF EPISODE